Stopped by Kloke Locomotive works this morning and took a few "Work in Progress" pictures of the York. They can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41428530@N03/

She's looking great, but I look at those cab photos, and I wonder how the engineer sat in there on the bench (it's the section of the cab over the drivers) with the notched quadrant for the Johnson bar running right in front of it. Ouch!

I believe many an engineer was impaled on the Johnson bar, sadly. I was noticing some of the spring rigging right below the fireman "bench". If this is pretty much as she'll run, it will be a heck of a wayback machine to 19th century locomotive operation.

Not finding good cab interior shots of the Jupiter or the 119 at Promontory Point. Wonder how they compare?

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

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Mike, I took another look at the photo you mentioned, and the spring rigging is on the engineer's side, too, behind a jog in the Johnson bar. That rigging is also just visible in the 119 cab ride provided by Utah Josh, so yes, she'll be one heck of a WABAC machine, running at some speed between York and Hanover Junction! About the only way to make her more authentic would be to switch her to coal (an idea I like), and to run with those replica coaches the group wants to build, with link-and-pin couplers and no air!

Egads, even I wouldn't be that crazy. . .and thankfully, the group ordering this isn't, either.

As to the Jupiter at Golden Spike--man, those colors may be authentic, but where are my sunglasses? Whooee, she looks good, but she's also mighty bright!

I don't think any engineers were impaled on Johnson bars. There is going to be another seat on top of the raised "bench", so the Johnson is at your left knee. And, you would have to be running in reverse, but a collision in reverse would throw you away from the lever, not towards it.

Broken drive rods, that is a relevant risk, especially on camelbacks.

I wonder if he was talking about when you're moving the johnson bar under load and it moves with quite a bit of force. You wouldn't be "impaled" in a literal sense, but you might have a painful experience if you're unlucky.

Well Johnson Bars are called back breakers for a reason, and unhooking one at the wrong time can severely injure or kill you. Or if you're lucky just throw you through the front of or out the back of a locomotive cab. Luckily very view engines work under the type of load these days where there is a real danger of that.

Taylor

Greetings:
Unlike the other replicas built by or based on O'Connor Engineering, "YORK" is equipped with "balanced" valves, which ought to mitigate difficulties in reversing or hooking up the valve gear.
J.David

I will say that when you're riding Leviathan at speed it certainly amplifies any track deficiencies. I can only imagine what it must have been like on a 19th century roadbed.

Interesting. GENERAL was reputed to ride "like a Pullman" back in the 1960's. How did MASON ride, B&O guys?

Few very old 4-4-0s to use for comparison.

dave

In layman's terms, wheat are "balanced" valves?

A "balanced" valve means a slide valve equipped with various devices intended to reduce the apparent steam pressure pushing the moving part of the valve down on its seat. As boilers got better and higher steam pressures became common it also became more and more difficult for the valve gear to operate the valve and for the engineer to adjust the timing with the Johnson bar. In the late 1800 various methods of "balancing" or reducing the friction between the valve and its seat were invented. Thus the term "balanced valve". This friction and the inability to control it is the primary reason piston valves were developed and found favor in the early 1900's.

A "balanced" valve means a slide valve equipped with various devices intended to reduce the apparent steam pressure pushing the moving part of the valve down on its seat. As boilers got better and higher steam pressures became common it also became more and more difficult for the valve gear to operate the valve and for the engineer to adjust the timing with the Johnson bar. In the late 1800's various methods of "balancing" or reducing the friction between the valve and its seat were invented. Thus the term "balanced valve". This friction and the inability to control it is the primary reason piston valves were developed and found favor in the early 1900's.

A "balanced" valve refers to a slide valve equipped with various devices intended to reduce the apparent steam pressure pushing the moving part of the valve down on its seat. As boilers got better and higher steam pressures became common it also became more and more difficult for the valve gear to operate the valve and for the engineer to adjust the timing with the Johnson bar. In the late 1800's various methods of "balancing" or reducing the friction between the valve and its seat were invented. Thus the term "balanced valve". This friction and the inability to control it is the primary reason piston valves were developed and found favor in the early 1900's.